The expansion work on the Lagos-Ibadan bridge on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway has commenced with the installation of expansion joints by the contractor, Julius Berger Nigeria Plc.
Our correspondents who took a trip on section one of the ongoing reconstruction of the expressway project on Sunday, observed that construction works were ongoing on the Lagos bound carriageway of the Long Bridge.
Section one of the project spans from Ojota in Lagos to the Sagamu Interchange and it is being handled by Julius Berger.
Section two of the project, which spans from the Sagamu Interchange to Ibadan, is being handled by the Reynolds Construction Company (RCC).
Workmen were seen welding and using various construction materials on the Long Bridge, with other construction works going on simultaneously on different portions of the highway.
The highway has been completed to the final layers on both carriageways between the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) Redemption Camp and the Sagamu Interchange.
However, some drainage works were ongoing on the Ibadan-bound carriageway.
Mr Kayode Ibrahim, the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing engineer supervising the contract, told our correspondent that expansion joints on the Long Bridge were being fitted in the spaces reserved for them.
While leading a tour of the bridge, Ibrahim explained that special construction materials were being used in the reserved spaces called “Thorma Joints” which are where the expansion joints are being installed.
“A bridge is not supposed to be static, it expands and contracts and the expansion joints serve that purpose.
“We began installation of the expansion joints on Thursday and we are replacing 42 joints on each side, but we started with the Lagos bound carriageway.
“Our usual effective traffic diversion and control measures are on, to ensure minimal stress to motorists,” Ibrahim said.
He, however, declined comments on when the installation of the joints would be completed, insisting that Julius Berger would complete the work “very soon”.
While conducting NAN through the rest of the highway, the engineer explained that Julius Berger was working on the road’s shoulders (edges) between Wawa and Ibafo, in order to move traffic to the Ibadan-bound carriageway.
He said that this was to enable total and effective reconstruction of the Lagos-bound carriageway.
“The shoulder recovery is an effective strategy to manage traffic.
“We have done extension work on the road shoulder here; you can see that it is a new pavement,” he said.
He said that Macadam which is a water resistant component, was being used to construct the highway, to make the construction last up to 50 years.
He added that the drainage network was being channeled to an existing river, to avert flooding. (NAN)
I visited Nigerian for a week in November 2016 and I was very impressed by the pace and quality of visible work being carried out on the Lagos/Ibadan expressway. While it was a gridlock to get out of Lagos in particular, there similar situation in Ibadan but not as much, the delays could not have been attributed to the construction works, per se; it was mostly to do with traffic management and control. On an occasion in a working week, it took almost 3 hours to leave inner city Maryland to Isheri. Amazing as it was, poor management was the root-cause because traffic was diverted by ‘unskilled, road traffic personnel who misdirected motorists, including some of their own LASTMA personnel and we all ended up at a closed uncultivated pond where every motorist had to make a U-turn. An obvious sign that things are not as well coordinated as they should, which led to a 2-way vehicular access forming into 4 or more, with the officials just looking on. Some of the barricaded roads were being plied by daring drivers, especially the commercial vehicles, thus, more delays as despite the illegality of gained access, they had the affront to challenge each other about right of access. Some individuals continue to avoid such encounters by hiring siren/rack-light SUVs to get them out of the traffic gridlock. When it was posited that law-breaking is either ‘top-down’ or ‘bottom-up’ in Nigeria, the assumption can not be more congruent. While the masses look at the administrators for a change in mind-set about corrupt practices, there are even more of the masses own mindset to be checked and reformed.
It is not so much the construction of ‘new’ infrastructures in Nigeria, it is more of the ability to have mid-to-long-term maintenance strategies so that what we have today can last to its projected life span. Even our intellectual properties are derelict simply because none thought better of ensuring periodic maintenance such the 5-year refurbishment/renovation obligation. Our roads could be made better, durable, safer, if only a though-through operational planning is in place to ensure all responsible arms of the government collaborate to its maintenance.
I hope to see whatever improvement made beyond Lagos/Ibadan expressway. I have been to many Nigerian states more that 40 years ago, confined to my ‘natural habitat’ because of lack of safe, secure and pliable roads, but I will like to revisit ‘old friends’ again – by road. My Need as a Patriotic Nigerian.